『ぜつぼうの濁点』
中学校でも読み聞かせの機会をいただきました。「ぜつぼうの濁点」（作：原田宗典、絵：柚木沙弥郎）を選書に。「せ」につく濁点が主（あるじ）の絶望を助けたく思い悩んで様々な経緯を経て、濁点自身がもうだめだという時、水中で「きほう（気泡）」が生まれ濁点は「ほ」に付いて「きぼう」になる話。実に感動的に仕上がっています。
濁点くんの自己犠牲もいとわない人の良さとメチャクチャ楽しい絵に中一の皆んなは引き込まれていました。「どうだった？」と聞くと「よかった」と口々に言う生徒たち。「聴いてくれて有難う」と返すと何とパチパチと拍手。
遥かに琵琶湖が見える丘の上の多賀中学校で朝の嬉しい時間を過ごすことができました。
I also had a chance to give storytelling at Taga Junior High School. I chose a picture book about a story based on a play on words involving one mark of Hiragana letters (Japanese cursive letters) titled ”ZETSUBOO no DAKUTEN (lit. voiced consonant mark of despair)” by Munenori Harada. It’s a very creative and moving story. If you don’t have the voiced mark attached to one particular letter combination, the meaning of the word will be “Setsuboo (longing)” and it is more positive than Zetsuboo (despair). Maybe the theme of the story is self-sacrifice and hope. Students were listening to the story very attentively. After reading, I asked them how it was. Many of them said “it was good”. I said “Thank you for listening”. Then all of them clapped for me. This morning I really had a good time with those students at a junior high school where I could see Lake Biwa from a distance.
2020/07/16
